Many different items are covered by tarpaulins or the like to protect such items and devices from damage. An automobile is one common example of such covered items. A tarpaulin or other such covering item is placed over an automobile to protect the automobile from damage from exposure to the sun, to dirt, or the like. Other examples of such covered items include boats, construction, agricultural equipment and any sort of land, marine or air vehicle. Even some aircraft are often simply covered instead of placing such aircraft in a hanger.
Building openings are also often closed by placing a covering over such opening. A cargo access opening to either a building or to a vehicle can be covered in this manner.
While quite helpful and advantageous, such coverings have several drawbacks which inhibit the full commercial success thereof.
One problem is associated with the secure nature of the covering item itself. Once in place, many covering elements do not permit easy or expeditious access to the covered item. For example, if a boat is covered, ingress to the boat, or egress from the boat is severely inhibited, if not totally prevented by the cover. This is also a problem if a cover is used to close an access opening to a building. Traffic, both vehicular and personnel, cannot easily pass through the cover without endangering the integrity of the cover closure.
Furthermore, if a cover is used to prevent access of personnel, locks must be provided. While some covers can be strong enough to prevent unauthorized access to a building when sealed to the building, it is not always easy to maintain this secure feature if traffic through the access opening is also permitted.
Often, the cover is designed to fit snugly and securely about the item being protected and such design feature can be vitiated by the need for access to the covered item. For example, repeatedly lifting and replacing a cover from and to a covered item may weaken, or even destroy, the attaching features associated therewith.
Therefore, there is a need for an element which can be used in conjunction with a covering element to permit that covering element to securely and snugly cover an item yet will still permit easy and expeditious access through the cover without vitiating the covering feature thereof, and which can be used in association with a wide variety of different covering elements.